A ‘green’ high-speed underwater backbone communication network is coming to Brazil’s Amazon River thanks to a partnership between Seja Digital, a non-governmental, non-profit institution created by regulator Anatel, and HMN Tech, a provider of turnkey submarine network solutions.
The two groups will partner in the construction of the Infovia 01 underwater backbone network in the northern Amazon River. Seja Digital’s stated mission is to implement two specific public policies defined by the country’s communications ministry for the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors: accelerating the adoption of digital TV and expanding broadband throughout Brazil. Infovia 01 is a part of the second policy.
The aim of the Infovia 01 project is to build a high-capacity underwater fibre-optic communication network for cities in the Amazon basin and meet the needs of local residents and public service institutions (including schools and hospitals) for high-speed internet communication. It is a core part of the Brazilian North Connected Programme.
The project partners say that, unlike terrestrial cable construction, the laying of underwater optical cables in the Amazon River will not cause damage to the local tropical rainforest and wetland environment. This will minimise its environmental impact.
Infovia 01 will be a 1,204-kilometre-long underwater optical system connecting Manaus, the capital of Brazil's largest state, with Santarem, an important commercial centre in the state of Para in northern Brazil, and nine cities along the route. The Infovia 01 system will deploy 24 fibre pair armoured cables provided by HMN Tech.
This cable type can not only support construction in an ultra-high temperature environment of 70°C but can also meet the requirements of rapid deployment under the climatic constraints of the Amazon rainforest. The armoured cable can also resist potential risks such as freshwater animal bites and tugboat damage.
